Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer, defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough have much in common

Syracuse, NY ? When Scott Shafer and Chuck Bullough met at Western Michigan in 2005, the connection was immediate.

?We clicked right away. In a matter of five minutes after I met him at Western Michigan he was like, ?I?m hiring you,? ? Bullough said. ?Ever since then, we?ve always said that whoever gets the first opportunity, we?re hiring each other.?

Shafer, who took over as head football coach at Syracuse University this week after Doug Marrone left to coach the Buffalo Bills, made good on that deal Friday when he hired Bullough to succeed him as defensive coordinator for the Orange.

?The biggest thing with me and Scott is that we have the same philosophy of football,? said Bullough, 44, who just completed his second year as a defensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns. ?Both of our dads were coaches. And when you are a coach?s son you grow up loving the game ? realizing it?s all about enthusiasm, attitude and intensity.?

Shafer, who is 46, said he hired the East Lansing, Mich., native because of their relationship, and the fact that they both love an attacking 4-3 defense that employs frequent blitzes.

?I?m in the business 22 years. There?s only a handful of people that you trust like a brother,? Shafer said during a news conference introducing him as the new SU head coach. ?He?s a hard-nosed guy. He?s been in the NFL as a player and coach.?

?That?s the great thing. His scheme is basically my scheme,? said Bullough, who spent five years at UCLA as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator before going to the Browns. ?At Western, we came in and kind of had the same ideas. It?s the same basic defense, with linebackers off the ball. We just think alike.?

Bullough was born in Michigan but finished his high school football career in Orchard Park. His father, longtime NFL defensive coordinator Hank Bullough, coached for two years with the Bills. The elder Bullough was head coach of the team for parts of the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

?When I was in high school at Orchard Park, I was down to two schools ? I was going to Syracuse or I was going to Michigan State,? said Bullough, an all-state linebacker. He ended up following in his father?s footsteps and playing for the Spartans.

Bullough was an All-Big Ten linebacker, and he went on to play three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. In his final collegiate season, he played against current SU linebackers coach Steve Morrison and running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley, who both starred at Michigan. Bullough also is familiar with SU defensive line coach Tim Daoust, who coached at Western Michigan from 2006-09.

If Daoust and Morrison stay in their respective roles, SU will have four coaches on the staff (with Shafer and Bullough) who were influenced by longtime Broncos coach Bill Cubit.

Prior to working under Shafer, who was the Broncos defensive coordinator, Bullough spent five years with the Chicago Bears in various assistant?s positions. Bullough also spent a year (2004) as a linebackers and special teams coach at Lake Forest College.

Bullough said he looks forward to returning to the college ranks.

?In the pros, it?s all about football. You sit there and study film 24 hours a day. You don?t have academic meetings. You don?t have recruiting,? he said. ?In college, you get the football but you also get to influence kids? lives.

?I?ve been both places. I think my coaching on both levels, and enjoying both, really helps,? he said.

Bullough plans to move to Syracuse soon with his wife, Nicole, and daughters Chloe and Annika.

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2013/01/new_syracuse_defensive_coordin.html

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